Pau Gasol
Teams
Memphis Grizzlies - 2001-08
Los Angeles Lakers - 2008-14
Chicago Bulls - 2014-16
San Antonio Spurs - 2016-19
Milwaukee Bucks - 2019
Playoffs
Appearances - 12 (2004,2005,2006,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015,2017,2018)
Conference Finals - 4 (2008,2009,2010,2017)
NBA Finals - 3 (2008,2009,2010)
Championships - 2 (2009,2010)
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 2002
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2011,2015)
All-NBA Third Team - 2 (2009,2010,2011,2015)
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Blocks - #23
Total Rebounds - #29
Total Points - #44
Blocks Per Game - #52
Rebounds Per Game - #91
League Leads
Total Rebounds (#3-2015, #5-2011)
Field Goal Percentage (#4-2002)
Total Blocks (#4-2016)
Rebounds Per Game (#4-2015)
Blocks Per Game (#5-2016)
After 3 seasons playing for FC Barcelona in Spain and winning the Spanish League Finals MVP award in 2001, Pau Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks at #3 overall, then was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim on the same day.
Gasol fit into the NBA immediately, averaging 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award. He continued to perform at that level for the next few years for Memphis, and was able to help lead Memphis to their first 3 playoff appearances in 2004, 2005, and 2006, but they never won a playoff game in any of those seasons.
In the 2005-06 season, Gasol was named to his first All-Star team when he averaged 20.4 points per game, his first time reaching 20 per game. After just over 6 years with the Grizzlies, Gasol was traded to the Lakers, with his brother Marc being one of the players who was exchanged in the other direction.
His arrival in Los Angeles was just what the Lakers and Kobe Bryant needed to get over the hump. The team had struggled since Shaq had been traded, but with Gasol on the team, the Lakers returned to relevance, reaching the NBA Finals just months after the trade, but they did end up falling to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.
Behind Kobe and Gasol, the Lakers came back strong the next year, making a return trip to the NBA Finals, this time facing the Orlando Magic, and the Lakers were able to take home the championship this time, with Gasol averaging 18.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in the Finals.
Gasol was even better the next year, averaging 18.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in the regular season, and the Lakers went right through the Western Conference to reach the Finals for the third year in a row, with familiar foe Boston waiting for them there. Gasol had 19 points and 18 rebounds in Game 7 as the Lakers took home their second straight championship.
He played at the same level for the next couple of seasons, but the Lakers fell in the second round both times, leading to a coaching change, and Gasol didn't fit well in new coach Mike D'Antoni's style and suffered several injuries, leading to his worst season up to that point. He played better the next year, but decided to leave the Lakers as a free agent after the season ended.
Gasol signed with the Bulls for the next 2 years, and was named to the All-Star team both years, at ages 34 and 35. After those 2 years, he signed with the Spurs, where he played in a more reduced role, but was still a starter and helped the Spurs reach the Conference Finals in 2017. After missing a couple of months with an injury early in 2018, he returned briefly before agreeing to a buyout with the team.
Gasol signed with the Bucks to finish the season, but after only 3 games suffered an ankle injury which ended his season and kept him from playing in the next season as well. He was unable to sign with an NBA team last year, so he went back to Spain and signed with his old team, FC Barcelona.
Gasol was an incredibly consistent player for a long time. In 14 of his first 15 seasons, Gasol averaged between 16 and 21 points per game and between 7 and 12 rebounds per game, putting him squarely in All-Star territory for a decade and a half, though he never really reached superstar level. He was very important to the Lakers success, as the team's fortunes changed as soon as he arrived, and he has those 2 championships as proof that he is one of the greatest players of all time.
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